This is one of the defining texts of the libertarian movement. By Murray Rothbard, it provides an in-depth exploration of a state-free society. It addresses both the reasons for libertarianism and the practicalities of a society without government. Rothbard’s writing is deeply appealing to me. His primary focus is very much on libertarianism as a system for justice.

He advocates for worldwide anarchism, with all relationships being consensual and voluntary. The use of aggressive force is wrong regardless of who does it or how many people support them, so the government’s use of force in taxation makes them the greatest pack of armed robbers, and their use of force in war against non-aggressors makes them the greatest pack of murderers. If these uses of force are illegitimate, it is hard to imagine a system that would be worse than our government.

In exploring how a libertarian society would function, he continues to emphasize the ethical high points of libertarianism. He advocates for individualized education instead of our current cookie-cutter system, and points out that education would still likely be provided to the poor. There are only two possibilities: Either a majority of people support funding education for the underprivileged, so these people would be willing to give money to support education under a libertarian system, or there is not a majority of people supporting funding for education, and our current government is ignoring the desires of the majority, and is thus illegitimate and should be overturned.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who identifies as a libertarian or anarchist. I would also recommend it for people who support government, because it’s always good to hear what the other side thinks. It is insightful and thought-provoking, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Rothbard’s works.